Press Release made for V.V's exhibition at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, Social Animals.

1. Social Animals // an exhibition by V.V!
!
Something great is on the verge of breaking out as
September 4th sets the launch of Vasco Vicente’s inaugural solo
exhibit at W+K Amsterdam gallery space – SOCIAL ANIMALS.
!
WHAT: Vasco Vicente aka V.V is presenting his take on the transformations brought on
by the growth of our young yet overly exposed social media culture: an instantaneous one,
where our screens become quite twisted mirrors, shapeshifting man into something that is
everything but a social being – as Aristotle once defined him.
!
Taking a close look at today’s human relations and projections, the theme reflects the search for
a lost essence in our “promoted post” contemporary life. We are all social animals, the
Facebookers, the Instagrammers, the food porn lovers and the selfie addicts. But shouldn't our
ability to communicate and echo throughout bring us closer to real social connections, more
than the ones we establish today? Or are we slowly imprisoning ourselves caging the (social)
animal, now tamed by a like button?
By here V.V exposes the animal character and persona within, as we move from the urban
social scene to the digital wilderness, highlighting the need to come back to basics: to our true
one-o-one nature, scratching its surface in a somewhat metaphorical way.
Creating an experience based on his own world and references as an artist, skater and
designer, if you visit W+K Amsterdam during the next month you’ll come across V.V’s social
animals and environments portrayed in a both beautiful and grotesque way all over the
agency’s lobby and corridors, set as scenery. Combining animation, typography, illustration,
and quite a hand full of printing technics, you can see how getting his hands dirty made him
create a smooth feeling between Installation and Art Gallery, at a place he can call home.
!
http://vascovicente.com facebook.com/Vasco.Vicente.studio http://vascovicente.tumblr.com

2. HOW: merging all his thoughts into an unique concept and voice, was not easy – not
even technically, for the multiple combinations he wanted to praise. So paying his respect
to one powerful advice given by the notable screen print artist FAILE, V.V remembered where
to start from: “You are too clean and perfect, you gotta get messy with your artwork, break the
rules, get dirty, get some textures on top, just try shit!” And so he did.
Sick of digital screens and burning of his eyes with digital artwork, he jumped back to old
traditional techniques, where the imperfection assumes the perfect look for the finished design
pieces. Transparent colours, smooth overlays, noisy gradients and mashup glitchy patterns:
color by color, screen by screen.
As an overall result, you’ll stumble upon a major sequence of silkscreen printed posters
displayed as an whole set, coming to life on hand painted walls that also hold the frame for
some unsettling line projections and… (here it comes): skatedecks transformed into canvas. !
WHY: Skating for the last 10 years, V.V has been renewing his skateboards and transforming
them into canvas as new hand painted pieces. And by building a mini half pipe as an
environment piece, in plane agency, what’s your actual escuse for not coming to see the all
pack he has to show?
WHERE: W+K Amsterdam, Herengracht 258-266, 1016 BV
WHEN: Thursday, September 4th, 6.30pm until 9pm
RSVP if you are coming to the opening: amsterdamavents@wk.com!
http://vascovicente.com facebook.com/Vasco.Vicente.studio http://vascovicente.tumblr.com

3. !
Some info to add to the bowl // about V.V!
!
If you want the sum up, then Vasco Vicente is a 29 year old multidisciplinary creative, currently
based in Amsterdam, working his skills as Designer, Illustrator and Art Director at W+K – for
the likes of Nike, Heineken, Tesco Mobile, Citizen and more. His works have been seen
across international press and magazines such as Vice, Creative Review, IDN and others…
Thankfully, he doesn't stop here.
!
WHO: originally from Setúbal, in Portugal, Vasco Vicente knew pretty much from the early age
of 4 what he want to do for the rest of his life… and he got it right pursuing it, finishing high
school in an Art School Academy and making his way while taking a Degree in Graphic Design
- followed by a Master’s degree in Studies of Visual Cultures. !
Today, he’s well known as a multidisciplinary Creative, based in Amsterdam. He may be only 29
but has become an experienced Art Director in advertising agencies such as W+K, where he
currently works for the likes of Nike, Heineken, Tesco Mobile, Citizen and more. And for that
he’s a Cannes Lion award winner, praised for his contributions as speaker and guest jury in
some design festivals held in Europe, and his works have been seen across international press
and publishings that include Vice, Creative Review, IDN Magazine, Ammo Illustration
Magazine London and Computer Arts. As an artist his collaborations and collective projects
include his presence at the Mashup Art San Gauntlet Gallery in San Francisco, featuring
names such names as Fab Ciraolo, Bethany Marchman, Ruben Ireland and Will Arvind.
http://vascovicente.com facebook.com/Vasco.Vicente.studio http://vascovicente.tumblr.com